State Plan for St. Louis County Parks Hits Speedbump

JEFFERSON CITY, MO. (KMOX) – The Governor’s plan to help St. Louis County keep some two dozen parks in operation is running into resistance in Jefferson City.

“I don’t know where the Governor is going to get extra money for a line item that we currently don’t have in our budget,” said State Senator Jim Lembke.

Lembke, from St. Louis County, says Governor Nixon spoke out of turn when he said he would discuss state help with County Executive Charlie Dooley.

“We can’t start making new promises for responsibilities that are not the responsibility of the state,” Lembke added. “You have to find efficiencies elsewhere and make cuts in other places in the budget so you can fund your parks.”

Concerning Gov. Nixon, Lembke added, “He can’t unilaterally go around the appropriations process and promise funds that he does not have the ability to appropriate.”

Nixon and Dooley are said to be discussing a state-county joint management agreement.

One Comment

There was a comment. Where did it go? Briefly, there is no time for this nonsense. They are out of time and have to take decisive action now. This is much broader than keeping a few parks open for a while longer.